Plot Twist, Huh?
by agirlandherfeels
Summary: Castle And Beckett circa end of Season 5 AU. Castle lies and hides things from Beckett, so she tell him she's through. Plot twist, huh?
1. Her Side

A/N: This was inspired by a tumblr prompt I saw on promptspourvous. Hope you enjoy! Also & unfortunately, I own nothing.

"Plot twist, huh?" I say softly.

Then, I turn on my heels and slide into my car without another word – without even giving Rick the chance to say anything. I slam the acceleration, turning the wheel to the side. The wheels screech in the dead of night before I soar down the street. Only then do the tears start to fall. When I'm several blocks away, I pull the car over & call Lanie, knowing that she has today off, as well.

"Hello?"

"Lane, can I come over?" My voice breaks.

"Kate, what's wrong?" I hear the concern in my friend's voice right away.

"It's over, Lanie. I told him I can't do this anymore. Can I just come over?"

"Sure thing, sweetie. Come on."

I pull back onto the street, and before I know it I'm at Lanie's building, pressing the button to let her know I'm here.

"Parish."

"It's me."

She doesn't say anything, just buzzes me into the building. When I get to her apartment, she's waiting with the door open and pulls me into a hug. I nearly collapse. I hear myself sobbing, but I almost don't realize that it's me. Lanie guides me into her apartment & over to her couch where we sit in silence for a few moments.

"What happened, Kate?" I can tell that Lanie doesn't want to upset me any further – that she is genuinely concerned.

"I…I honestly don't know. Things were going so well for us, and then, all of a sudden he started acting weird." Lanie lets me figure out my thoughts. "I mean, we've been together, officially, for almost a year. Even before that, though, he's never been one to keep secrets or lie to me, but…for the last month or so that seems to be all he's done. I'm not going to hang around and be made to look like a fool."

A look of disbelief flashes across Lanie's face, but almost as soon as it appears, it's gone. "Kate?" I can tell that she is about to ask a question that I probably won't like. "Did you ask him about it?"

"No, Lanie, I just flew off the handle and broke off the best relationship I've ever had." I roll my eyes, but realize how snippy that answer was and apologize. "Sorry."

"Don't be sorry. You have every right to be pissed. What did he say when you asked him about all of it."

"That he wasn't lying or hiding things. Which is bullshit." I'm beyond tears now. I'm too mad to cry. Who the hell did he think he was? Better question: Who the hell did he think I was?

My phone buzzes in my pocket. It's him, so I don't answer. Then, Lanie's phone rings. "It's Castle," she reports.

"Don't tell him I'm here."

"Hello…No, she's not here…If I hear from her, I'll let her know…Bye, Castle."

"What did he want?" I ask, not sure if I really want to know.

"He said that he'll be at your swings at 6, and he'd really like to talk through some things with you, if you are willing to meet him. What the hell does he mean 'your swings'?"

I try to suppress a small smile, but I can't. "There are some swings in the park by my building. We've had several good conversations on those swings. I don't know if I want to ruin those memories by talking about all of this there, though."

"Well, it's only one, now, so you've got a little time to decide. For what it's worth, though, I think it could be good to hear him out. Maybe this was just some big misunderstanding."

"Lanie. The man has lied to me about where he's been several times this month, and he's been hiding things. Like, just the other day, I walked into his office and he slammed his laptop shut like he was up to something."

"Okay, it definitely doesn't look good, but it may be worth hearing what he has to say."

I tend to agree with Lanie, but I just don't know how I can sit there, on our swings, and listen to the man who broke my heart.


	2. His Side

"Plot twist, huh?" It's so quiet, I barely hear her. Between the sound of the traffic and the blood pounding in my ears, I almost question if it was real. But then Kate's car roars away. It is definitely real. She's gone. She doesn't even give me a chance to explain myself. I would've told her everything. I was planning to tell her everything on Saturday, anyway.

After watching her car disappear in the distance, I realize that if I have any chance of winning her back, I have to speed up my plans. I also know that there is a chance I won't get her back – that she might really be gone for good. I'm going to fight like hell for her first, though.

I make my way to the vintage jewelry shop down the street and pick up the ring. Luckily, I got the call this morning that it is ready. As I leave the shop, I give her a call, but she doesn't answer. I don't really expect her to, but I hoped she would. Instead, I call Lanie, knowing that Kate is probably with her. If she isn't, she's probably on her way.

"Hello."

"Hi, Lanie. Is Kate with you?"

"No, she's not here." I can tell by her tone that she's at least talked to Kate; she's not a fan of mine at the moment, even though she knows about my plans and helped me find the perfect ring.

"Well, if you see her or hear from her, can you let her know that I'll be at our swings today at 6? I'd really like to have a chance to talk through some things and explain the situation, if she's willing to meet me. I've got the ring."

"If I hear from her, I'll let her know."

"Thanks, Lanie."

"Bye, Castle." She hangs up before I can say bye. Kate is definitely with her.

I head to my apartment and find it empty. I go into my office to attempt to gather my thoughts. Nothing is sounding right, though, so I decide to walk to the park. It's not that far, and I've got some time to spare.

I arrive at the park at approximately 5:30. I don't plan on getting here so early, but I want to make sure I don't miss her. Time seems to stand still. I swear I've been here for 30 minutes, but I check my watch, and it's only been 5. At 6:10, I begin to get worried. Maybe she isn't coming. Maybe this really is the end for us. Maybe she really is done. Until this morning, I was 100 percent sure what the future held for us, but, now, I'm not so sure.

Finally, after waiting for what feels like forever…and, let's face it, I would wait forever for her, she's here. She walks over and sits on the swing next to me, facing the opposite direction.

"Castle." It hurts that she uses my last name. Usually on our…her days off, I'm Rick and she's Kate. Today, though, I'm Castle.

"Kate." I look at her, trying to convey just how horribly I feel. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have kept secrets."

She looks down, and almost whispers, "No, you shouldn't have." She tries to hide it, but I see the pain etched on her face.

"The reason I've been doing that though – and there is a very good reason – is that I've been doing a lot of thinking about us – about our relationship. What we have; where we're headed. I've decided I want more. We both deserve more."

"I agree," Kate sounds dejected.

"So whatever happens, whatever you decide," I remark as I make my move. "Katherine Houghton Beckett, will you marry me?"

"Oh my god! Oh my god! You're proposing!" Kate seems genuinely shocked.

"Okay, you're surprised."

"Of course I'm surprised, you jackass!" She's laughing, crying, and smiling the biggest smile I've ever seen…not exactly the reaction I prepared myself for after this morning. "Is this what all the sneaking around and secrets has been about? I thought…terrible things." I hear the catch in her throat but see the smile still on her face.

"Well, yeah…I was going to surprise you on Saturday. I had it all planned out. I was going to ask you…here actually, but then there was going to be a party…"

Kate grabs my face and presses a kiss to my lips. "I love you, Rick."

"So…is that a yes." She rolls her eyes. I love the way she rolls her eyes at me.

"On one condition…no more secrets."

"Deal."

I place the ring on her hand and a tender kiss on her lips. "I love you, Kate. Always."


End file.
